Kentucky Kid

It has been over a year since we had to report the passing of Nicky Hayden. Struck by a car outside of the Misano circuit, while he was training on his bicycle, Hayden’s death was felt around the world.

Though always in our hearts, the motorcycle industry has begun to move on from the loss of its beloved world champion, but the legal proceedings in Italy have nevertheless been toiling away.

There are two matters before the Italian courts. One, the criminal proceedings for the unnamed driver of the car that struck and killed Hayden; and two, a civil suit by the Hayden family against the car’s driver.

Now, the initial criminal proceedings of the incident have concluded, with the Italian court finding the driver of the car guilty of homicide.

An exhibition of Nicky Hayden photographs, by the Italian photographer Mirco Lazzari, opened during the Imola WorldSBK round, aptly named “A Million Dollar Smile”.

With 69 photographs depicting the American’s international career, it provided a reminder to fans of what made the Kentucky Kid so popular.

For Lazzari, the challenge of finding the correct pictures was a trying time ,with weeks spent to ensure he struck the right chord, as the first anniversary of Hayden’s death approaches.

“I wanted to create an exhibition for Nicky, and it was very emotional because Nicky was a rider that gave all of us a lot of emotions,” said Lazzari. “He meant a lot to so many fans and to the sport, so I wanted to do this exhibition because he is missed by so many people.”

Nicky Hayden’s hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky is gearing up to honor its local hero, with plans to erect a statue of the Kentucky Kid on the front lawn of the Owensboro Convention Center.

The statue will capture one of Hayden’s most memorable moments, and one of the most iconic images of the MotoGP Legend – his race win at Laguna Seca from the 2006 MotoGP Championship season (shown above).

Just like in the photo, the bronze statue of Hayden will include him holding an actual American flag. And in addition to the statue, the City of Owensboro is also declaring June 9th Nicky Hayden, a reference to Nicky’s racing number: 69.

The former-MotoGP Champion was struck by a car, while he was training on his bicycle near the Rimini coast. After the incident, Hayden was ultimately treated at the trauma center at the Bufalini Hospital in Cesena, where he later passed away.

While motorcycle fans around the world have been hoping for good news throughout this past weekend, and looking for signs that Nicky’s condition would improve, today Nicky’s race ended, with his family and friends at his side.